Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe’s guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo’s download service. Written by Sam C Gittins

One title so laughable that it's fun, the other so fun that it's laughable... #VCWeek continues with an onslaught of reviews. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...     

Flying Warriors
Little Ninja Brothers


 
Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Culture Brain
Developer: Culture Brain
Released: 1991
System: NES

Flying Warriors takes the majority of cues from another Culture Brain title Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll except here you take on the role of Rick Stalker the Shorinji Kempo warrior where he along with his allied forces must take on the Tusk Soldier army in order to save the day. Like with its predecessor there are Journey phases along with Battle phases which break up the gameplay, while on your journey you'll be taking part in platforming sections where you'll contend with lots of enemies and bosses which will help you to level up plus there is a K.O. gauge which you'll want to increase so that you can unleash hell in one swift attack.

Often it will feel as if you are just hammering away at the buttons with little consequence other than the rather quick departure of enemies from the screen as you deal digital death to them with relative ease, perhaps that's why the game often feels like it rarely hits the mark in terms of keeping you connected with the action as sometimes it barely feels like you're playing making it feel like a more passive experience. Slog through enough of the journey though and you'll get to endure... sorry, enjoy the battle-focused parts on offer which to give it credit does a good job of engaging you with your on-screen enemies more being that you need to hit or block at precise moments but it's hardly the most exciting of moments even in the heat of battle.

At least you can opt to rush in at the right moment as you attempt to combo into your opponents making for an easier win, from these battles you can also nab items which help you along in your quest. Perhaps the most exciting moment is when you get to transform into an actual Flying Warrior which lets you unleash loads of fancy spells, additionally there is also Command Mode which is turn-based requiring a little bit more thought; then you have the bonus Tournament Mode which gives you a varied seclection of fighting styles and can prove to be fun for a few minutes at least especially with friends or family if you happen to have anyone nearby willing to play.



Visually this is a step-up from the previous entry though even then it's not exactly spectacular in terms of graphical quality though there are some nice touches in addition to some decent animations. Audio is acceptable as always in the case of these titles if a little unremarkable it should at least get points for trying with the sound effects but otherwise it's devoid of a great deal of charm which would have otherwise elevated it slightly.

Being that Flying Warriors is an improvement I suppose it could be seen as the best of a bad situation because as a game it could be a lot worse but arguably there are plenty of other better games you could be playing such as Little Ninja Brothers which is easily the superior title. Comically each time you allow Rick Stalker to die he'll inform you "I won't stop at this" which is definitely a highlight within the game for me, though perhaps for all the wrong reasons; in any case for the low price you can at least have some fun with this game and gain a few laughs along the way.    

Verdict : Please stop at buying this game if you can, unless you want a good laugh.



Price: GB £3.49, EU €4.99
Publisher: Culture Brain
Developer: Culture Brain
Released: 1991
System: NES
 
Here we have the successor to Kung-Fu Heroes in which we assume the role of either Jack or Ryu, a pair of ninjas who are on a mission to defeat Blu Boltar along with his Yoma Clan who have invaded Chinaland in what is an almost hilariously non-politically correct game which has now thankfully been re-released in a gaming climate where everything is played far too safely at times. Going by the title of Super Chinese 2 over in the far east this is the title which really helps to put the series onto the map thanks to it expanding the existing side-scrolling scrapper genre with RPG elements in order to further diversify its appeal.

Playing either on your own or alongside your ninja brother in two-player mode, you travel between cities which allow you to heal up, purchases items in addition to talking with the folk about town, then upon exiting to the world outside you will then engage in real-time battles as you randomly encounter enemies. This is where the action changes to a move familiar side-on perspective as you break open rocks to nab extra items in between doing battle with your foes for experience points along with a bit of cash.

There are also structures called Divine Houses which appear on the map, seeking them out is advisable as you'll gain powers from visiting them, then you have Command Battles in which you get choices instead of directly fighting so there are a few elements which help to mix things up. Additionally there is Event Mode which gives you a chance to compete against a friend in a mad dash to the finish as you avoid obstacles, you can even start playing the adventure in single player but have someone else join you at any point plus if the game isn't hard enough then just pick from one of the more advanced difficulties of which there are three in total; overall the game does a very good job in keeping you constantly engaged.



All of the visuals have a certain style to them which has enough detail to appear pleasant for a game of its era while retaining an endearing style which is nicely pieced together, there are some genuinely brilliant animations featured as well which will put a smile on your face. The audio isn't bad either as it always remains complementary to the visuals though it's never over-shadowed by them making for an excellent sense of equilibrium only to be joyfully interrupted by a suitably corny sound effect every other moment which works to the games credit.

For any fans of martial arts who like the idea of playing a deceptively simple game based upon the subject along with all things of the East then look no further, Little Ninja Brothers is an endearing adventure which can be enjoyed either on your own or as a duo, it's just as fun either way. Games like this which offer the perfect combination of whimsical charm along with well-honed gameplay are a more than welcome addition to the Virtual Console so please by all means spread your love for this title across miiverse if you feel the urge to do so because they are a celebration of what has now become widely accepted in the digital market of today when just a generation ago titles like this would have been part of a Hanabi Festival just to garner enough attention, these niche titles are definitely appreciated.   

Verdict : A Chinese themed Culture Brain classic.

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!